Caption: Industrial disaster firefighting. Firefighters in protective suits operating a firefighting foam pump. This is part of the response following the explosion of the AZF fertiliser factory near Toulouse, France, on 21 September 2001. Up to 300 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded, destroying the factory and leaving a crater over 20 metres deep and 200 metres across. The explosion was heard 80 kilometres away and surrounding buildings were heavily damaged. 29 people were killed, thousands were injured, and tens of thousands were evacuated.